Last month, Malaysia played host to the World Marketing Summit Malaysia 2013 (WMSM 2013) in Putrajaya, aimed to revolutionise the way marketers and consumers think, and how to collectively make the world a better place through marketing.
The three-day global event saw more than 2,300 delegates representing 68 countries attending the summit, where some outstanding speeches and insightful keynotes took place. Delegates explored case studies, shared experiences and dialogue and future direction on how social purpose can be injected into business practice to allow businesses to make money while furthering a social cause.
One of the key aims of the WMSM is to strive to achieve the United Nations 8 Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). These are:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Global partnership for development
The UN MDGs form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. Target date to achieve the eight MDGs is 2015.
A list of high profile speakers shared insight and knowledge during the summit including Minister Dr. Bernard Kouchner, ex-French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Founder of Doctors Without Borders, Professor Dr. Hubert Gijzen, UNESCO’s Director of Asia & Pacific, Mr Shahid Malik, ex Labor Minister of the U.K. and Chairman of Global Cooperation and Development Partnership, Dr. Ashok Khosla, Chairman of Development Alternative Groups, India, and Dr. R. L. Bhatia, Founder of World CSR Day.
On the sidelines of the summit, the Youth Parliament in conjunction with Revolution Starts Now project saw 30 children from various local schools participate in a research competition to explore news ways to achieve the eight UN MDGs.
WMSM is a brainchild of marketing guru Professor Dr Philip Kotler, with the sole aim of revolutionising the way marketers and consumers think, live and act and how society can collectively make contributions towards a better future by creating new approaches through marketing.
The annual think-tank aims to encourage the partnership of Public-Private-Purpose and how they can become agents of social change, changing the old model of developed economics providing aid to developing nations.
“The World Marketing Summit Malaysia 2013 has been a wonderful experience and I thank all speakers, sponsors, and partners for their undivided support towards making this summit a success. I hope all corporations, NGOs and everyone who have attended the summit can take home something valuable, implement it and create a better world through marketing,” said Dr. Marceline Lemarie, Organising Chairperson of WMSM 2013.
For more information about the United Nations MDGs, visit http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
